


The Secrets We Keep

by creativityobsessed



Series: Who We Are [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-26
Updated: 2016-08-26
Packaged: 2018-08-11 06:13:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7879645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/creativityobsessed/pseuds/creativityobsessed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Companion fic to Who We Are.</p>
<p>With Marinette suddenly acting strangely and Ladybug making bad decisions, Adrien is too busy to notice that the real threat is closer than he thinks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Secrets We Keep

**Author's Note:**

> This is a companion fic to Who We Are, which covers approximately the same timeline from Marinette's point of view. While I highly suggest you read that first, you should be able to understand most of this one without it.

The week begins with Marinette very suddenly and unexpectedly snapping at him. He likes to think they've become friends, especially now that Nino and Alya are dating. (OK almost dating.) They'd been spending a little time together and he's noticing her much more now - the way she blushes whenever she speaks because she's shy, or how she tucks her hair behind her ear when it falls out of her pigtails. The truth is he likes Marinette - not like _that_ but he thinks she's sweet and nice, and to have her suddenly snapping at him feels wrong.

 

"Dude, what did you do?" Nino asks as Adrien slides into his seat. 

 

"I don't know," he replies. He thinks his way through the past week, but he honestly cannot think of a single thing he did. Quite frankly he'd been busy helping Lila acclimatize,and then fighting her while she was Akumatised... But he and Marinette aren't good enough friends that she would be mad at him for ignoring her, are they?

 

For some reason Adrien can't stop thinking about the incident. He barely pays attention through Chemistry and History, and at lunch he finds himself staring across the cafeteria at her and Alya. He barely notices when Nino sits down next to him. Eventually Nino waves a hand in front of Adrien's face.

 

"You've got to drop it, man," he says. But instead Adrien responds with "What do you think is wrong with Marinette?"

 

Nino rolls his eyes and shrugs, but Adrien notices that he won't quite meet his eyes.

 

"What do you know?" Adrien demands, keeping one eye on the girls. Marinette seems to be fighting with Alya too -  _ maybe it's not just me! _

 

"I don't know anything," Nino protests, but Adrien is barely listening. Marinette just practically  _ ran _ out of the cafeteria. Adrien jumps up to follow, but Nino catches his sleeve.

 

"OK, OK, I'll talk!" Nino says, "Just don't follow her. Or tell her I'm the one who told you." That makes Adrien pause.

 

"Wait. You know why she's mad at me?" he asks.

 

"I have a guess," Nino says.

 

“Are you actually gonna tell me any time this week?" Adrien demands impatiently. Nino sighs.

 

"Marinette... how do I put this?" he thinks a moment, "there's really no delicate way to put this. Marinette has a crush on you," he says matter-of-factly before taking a huge bite of baguette.

 

Adrien feels like the world has stopped around him. He knows he has no reason to be good at telling when girls like him, but after Chloe made her affections abundantly clear, he just assumed that was what it would always be like.

 

"Marinette... likes me?" he murmurs, "But... how..."

 

"Wait," he says turning to Nino. "If she likes me then why would she yell at me? That makes no sense!" Nino shrugs.

 

"Maybe she's trying to  _ stop _ liking you, since you're kind of oblivious."

 

Adrien isn't sure how he feels about this bit of news. He likes Ladybug, and has for a while, but she has made it clear that she isn't interested, while Marinette is right here, and apparently head-over-heels for him. And he  _ does _ like her. Enough to go on a date anyway and see how it goes.

 

"I need to go talk to her," he says, climbing out of his seat, but Nino stops him.

 

"Not a good idea. Let her calm down. No sense in getting your mind changed by crocodile tears."

 

"But..." Adrien tries to argue, but Nino is glaring at him, so he sits back down to finish his lunch. Whatever Nino says, he needs to talk to Marinette, and  _ soon. _

 

***

That night, Adrien spends the evening thinking very hard about Marinette. He hasn’t ever really considered her, beyond the fact that they’re classmates, and by the time they started spending time together for Nino and Alya’s sakes, he’d already been blinded by Ladybug. No girl could ever measure up to Ladybug, though, and Marinette is real. Right here. And she already likes him.

 

He sighs, and plops down in his desk chair. It really shouldn’t be this hard! Plagg abandoned him hours ago for the cheese cupboard and is happily stuffing himself, “Far away from your moping.” Which is ridiculous. He’s not moping.

 

Struck with inspiration, he pulls a notebook and pen towards him.

 

_ Reasons to like Marinette: _ he writes at the top of a page.

_ She's kind _

_ She's sweet _

_ She’s nice _

 

He groans in frustration.  _ I sound like I could be describing someone’s grandmother! _

 

He thinks for a moment and then writes  _ She’s shy _ , then thinks better of it and crosses it out, because that’s not really a reason to like someone, even if they  _ are _ really cute when they blush and get tongue tied.

 

He thinks for a few more minutes before tearing the sheet out of the notebook and balling it up. Lists are  _ not _ a reason to like somebody.

 

Finally, after another two hours of going back and forth on the matter, he makes a decision. He’s going to ask Marinette on a date.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry it took so long to get this one going, guys, but the summer got busy! Unfortunately school has now started so updates may take a while, but I do have some ideas for where this is going so there is hope, I promise!


End file.
